Opinion: Ottawa’s new immigration targets — good for special interests, but not for Canadians in general

The federal government recently announced its immigration targets for the next three years. While the proposed multi-year planning makes sense in terms of having adequate resources ready to handle the proposed increase, regrettably the government’s expanded targets don’t serve the best interests of most Canadians.

A large majority don’t want and will not benefit from the major population expansion the targets will bring about. While the ensuing population growth will result in a larger economy, the key issue is whether the average Canadian will be better off. The answer to this is a resounding “no.”

Canadians are already paying a heavy price for current intake, estimated by economists Herbert Grubel and Patrick Grady at around $30 billion annually as a result of the fact that in recent years newcomers have been receiving far more in benefits than they pay in taxes.

This is despite the claim that immigration is becoming increasingly beneficial to the well-being of Canadians on the basis that the percentage of newcomers in the economic class (i.e. chosen for their ability to contribute to the economy) for the three-year period will be 58 per cent. While this figure may sound impressive, it must be borne in mind that it includes the spouses and children of those chosen for their economic potential, while the percentage of those actually selected because of their potential for positive impact on the economy is considerably smaller. The cost to Canadian taxpayers, therefore, is likely to remain high.

The government’s rationale for increasing immigration levels is based on a number of other false premises.

One is the claim that Canada needs to bring in large numbers of workers from outside the country when in fact we aren’t facing major labour shortages that only immigration or temporary foreign workers can mitigate. Although gaps in the availability of labour will almost certainly occur from time to time and in various parts of the country, most of these can be dealt with domestically by allowing wages to increase. Research indicates that we should only have to resort to bringing in workers from abroad (either permanent or temporary) on relatively rare occasions since Canada already has the human, as well as educational and training, resources required to meet most of its labour needs.

Related to this is the myth propagated by the government that immigration is necessary to provide workers needed to pay the taxes required to fund services for the growing percentage of older Canadians. While there is no question that Canada is facing a number of problems related to having a larger proportion of seniors, it has been demonstrated definitively that immigration doesn’t provide any sort of practical solution to these problems since immigrants grow old like everyone else and have a negligible impact on the average age of Canadians. We would have to bring in hundreds of millions of immigrants for this to change.

Yet another area of concern should be the environmental impact of a large population increase both within Canada and globally when one considers the much larger ecological footprint newcomers will have here than in the countries most come from.

The Liberal government nevertheless plans to increase immigration levels substantially in the next three years. Some provincial governments welcome this as a way to counter population stagnation and decline. The fact is, however, that in regions where this is a problem it’s happening largely because of a lack of economic opportunities that results in workers moving to other parts of Canada. While more than a few newcomers avail themselves of the chance to get into Canada through welcoming provincial immigration programs, many waste no time in moving on to already overcrowded cities such as Toronto and Vancouver in their quest for employment.

Most residents of these cities, moreover, aren’t enthusiastic about the large-scale influx. While those who have owned real estate for some time obviously benefit from an increase in property values, most younger buyers in these cities are priced-out of a market driven by a rapidly growing population and money flowing in from abroad. Expensive housing brought about to a large extent by high levels of immigration could well be a factor in the decision of many couples to have fewer children.

Clearly the government’s new plan will not work in the interests of most Canadians and particularly those who live in big cities that attract large numbers of immigrants. The immigration targets serve in particular the interests of the Liberal Party of Canada, which hopes that most newcomers will vote for it. Related to this is the recent legislation that has lowered and cheapened citizenship requirements. The NDP isn’t far behind in advocating policies designed to attract immigrant support rather than benefit Canadians in general, while the Conservatives for their part have had relatively little to say about major problems associated with the plan.

The main beneficiaries apart from the Liberals will be those who profit economically such as the real estate industry, employers seeking a larger supply of cheap labour and immigrant communities looking to enlarge their size and influence as well as receive increased funding for settlement programs. The principal losers will be Canadian taxpayers and workers in general.

While Canada has benefited at times in the past from large-scale immigration, the present isn’t one of them. What the country needs today is a comprehensive, balanced and informed discussion on what kind of immigration policy can best serve the interests of Canadians overall. It isn’t likely to get this from the current government.

Martin Collacott is a former Canadian ambassador in Asia and the Middle East and has testified frequently before parliamentary committees on immigration policy.

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